


lonely

by gingergenower



Series: falling (slowly) [2]
Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Spoilers, honestly this is the saga of MJ Not Being Able To Walk, reading this series in order will probably be necessary
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-29
Updated: 2017-07-29
Packaged: 2018-12-08 12:53:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11646957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gingergenower/pseuds/gingergenower
Summary: At lunch, Peter tries to figure out what he did wrong.





	lonely

Getting out of the changing room as fast as they can, Ned and Peter hurry to the canteen. MJ’s already sat in their usual spot when they get there, leaning over an open book while she’s pressing an ice pack on her foot, hooked up on the bench next to her.

They detour to the line to get food, and Ned sits next to her injured foot and Peter climbs in opposite them. She doesn’t look up when they sit down, and normally Peter wouldn’t make anything of that, but he’s been thinking about her since he left her with the nurse. He’s sure there was something wrong.

He’s attuned to her now, maybe even more aware of her than Ned because he knows he needs to be, and he’s certain she flinched when he touched her.

Peter doesn’t know what he did, and he doesn’t want to push and make it worse, but he can’t let her think he’s not there if she needs him. Taking a bite of his food, Peter gestures. ‘How’s the foot?’

‘Fine.’

‘Have you eaten already?’ Ned asks, and MJ turns a page without interest.

‘I’m not hungry.’

‘You’ve got to eat something,’ Peter says, frowning.

‘I don’t, actually.’

‘We can go get you something if you want-’

‘I’m fine.’

Ned puts his apple down next her book, and nudges her elbow. ‘Can I laugh about the way you fell down yet?’

‘Sure,’ she sighs, like she’s resigning herself to something.

In class, Flash was in hysterics, but he was the only one. She went over on her ankle and somehow didn’t crack her head on the ground even though she went down heavily- Peter’s seen bones breaks for less.

He was the first at her side, making sure she didn’t move until they knew she could, and he would’ve told Flash to shut up if he’d noticed properly, but he was too focussed on MJ. Her face was screwed up with pain and she couldn’t move her foot at all, and he couldn’t think about anything else.

Grinning, Ned turns to Peter. ‘Are you interning tonight?’

‘Yeah,’ Peter says, pulling himself away from MJ. ‘Why?’

‘Oh, I’m just trying to talk my parents into giving me driving lessons when I’m sixteen.’

‘…what’s that got to do with me?’

‘Well, they love you. I figured I should ask them when you’re around, so they might not even realise they’ve said yes.’

Peter grins. Ned’s parents are really cool. ‘Saturday afternoon?’

‘Done.’

Ned pulls a face at something behind Peter and the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end, and he’s aware of someone waltzing up behind him just before he starts talking.

‘Penis Parker! How’s your buddy Spider-Man?’

Biting the inside of his cheek, Peter stares at MJ’s book, determined not even to look around. (If he ever gets the opportunity, he’s going to web Flash’s hand to his own crotch.)

‘Is he going to swing into trig later? Or is he going to meet you at the front so you can get coffee together after school?’

‘Your life must be really lonely.’ MJ watches him, hand in her chin, like he’s a mildly interesting history lesson.

Flash blinks; MJ’s never gone after him in a confrontation before. ‘This isn’t anything to do with you-’

‘Actually, it is,’ she says. ‘You walked up to us- we’re a collective, see, because we’re sitting together- and you’ve been calling him names for weeks and it’s a problem. It’s got to stop. Do you not have any friends to hang out with at lunch? Is that why you keep bothering him? Because you can join us, if you want. There’s loads of room.’

Underneath her untouchable cool, there’s a genuine invitation, but Peter turns and she might as well have slapped Flash his cheeks are so red.

‘I _have_ friends, alright, I just, I- I wouldn’t want to sit with you if-’

‘Oh, good,’ MJ says, smiling politely. ‘That’s settled, then. You can fuck off now.’

Peter snorts into his food and Ned slaps a hand over his mouth, trying not to laugh, but MJ’s completely impassive and that riles Flash up more.

‘You- why do you even _care_? No one _likes_ you-’

‘He doesn’t have to like me for me to do the right thing,’ MJ says, shrugging, and Peter stops laughing.

She still doesn’t think they like her; she doesn’t know that they’re friends. How can she not know-?

‘We like her,’ Ned says, glaring at Flash.

‘She’s our best friend,’ Peter agrees, looking right at MJ until she looks back. It’s the first eye contact she’s made with him since the nurse’s office, and she gives him a tiny nod.

‘You can go now, Flash,’ she tells him, turning back to her book. ‘Bye. See you at decathlon practice.’

Ned and Peter share a look, mostly along the line of “holy _shit_ ” and Flash walks away, utterly confused. Peter kind of feels a bit sorry for him- Peter wasn’t even on the receiving end of that and he’s not entirely sure what happened.

After a few seconds, MJ flips her book over to keep the page and checks her ankle, peeling the ice pack off. Peter leans over the table; it’s not as swollen as it was, but it’s bruising up and still looks painful.

‘You do realise you screwed up your ankle the first time you ever ran in that class, don’t you?’ Peter asks, sliding back into his seat, and she narrows her eyes at him.

‘I’m aware.’

‘And we’re never letting you forget it?’

‘Like the Biology Incident?’

Ned laughs and Peter shoves his tray aside, slumping down on the table. He groans into his arms. ‘MJ…’

‘Frankly, it’s impressive that you didn’t break anything. Well done.’

‘Urgh.’

Back when he first got his powers, his fingers randomly stuck to things. Pens, paper, and once his whole hand glued itself to his biology desk without his noticing. He tried to jump up off his seat but got yanked back by his own hand and smacked flat on his back in front of the whole class, and he had to pretend he slipped.

A hand pats his head.

‘I don’t want friends anymore,’ he says.

‘I know. Your life’s so hard.’

MJ retracts her hand and looks away when he looks up, but there’s a smile in the corner of her mouth and he can’t help but smile to himself too.

She tries wiggling her toes, but she grimaces at the pain.

‘I’ll help you get to class,’ Peter says, offhand, and she rolls her eyes.

‘I can walk.’

‘Mm.’

‘You’re not carrying me down the hall like that in front of everyone. It’s not happening.’

‘It’s not like you can run away,’ Ned says reasonably, and MJ punches his arm, glowering at him. Peter grins.

She eats the apple Ned gave her, but because MJ looks so goddamn irritated by the idea, Peter keeps mentioning how he’ll carry her to class all the way through lunch. When the bell rings, Peter throws his bag over his shoulder and skirts around the edge of the table, but by the time he gets to his friends MJ’s still struggling to stand up. Her foot doesn’t seem to be able to take any weight, let alone walk.

For the first time, he wonders how she even got in the canteen.

Even when she’s standing she wobbles, leaning on Ned for balance, and Peter runs a frustrated hand through his hair. He doesn’t want to go near her if she’s not ok with it, but this is pretty hard to watch when he can pick up cars.

‘You’re a piece of shit,’ she tells her ankle as a matter of fact. Then, she looks up at Peter, and he knows he’s hovering over her. ‘Piggyback?’

It takes a couple of seconds to get her up, but once she is and Ned’s got their bags, they’re on their way to class.

The first time they go through a door she smacks it with her hand and pretends she hit her head against the frame, and Ned nearly falls over he’s laughing so hard at Peter’s horrified expression. Pointedly hiking her up higher, he throws her a withering look over his shoulder, but she’s giggling at him and he struggles not to smile himself.

She’s never looked more beautiful.

**Author's Note:**

> tbc... (probably)


End file.
